PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigators probing the misappropriation of Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) funds have identified 337 companies, associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that were recipients of grants amounting to millions of ringgit between 2019 and this year.
Sources revealed that Mitra had approved the highest number of grants in 2019 where RM90 million was disbursed to 205 establishments.
Eight of the companies were found to have received over RM1 million each.
Since Monday, 18 company directors were arrested, several of them who hold Datuk and Datuk Seri titles, for investigations into the suspected embezzlement of Mitra funds which were meant for socio-economic and upskilling programmes for the Indian community.
The MACC is in the first phase of its investigations into the case and more are expected to be arrested in the coming days, especially 27 companies that had received more than RM1 million in Mitra grants.
Sources said the ongoing probe on 10 of the 27 companies revealed that 80% of them had allegedly swindled the grants for personal gain.
Investigators are also facing hurdles in conducting the probe due to the large number of companies, associations and NGOs involved but will focus on the 27 companies in the first phase of their investigations.
Sources said the commission will form a special investigations team jointly with the National Unity Ministry to probe the remaining 310 companies that had received under RM1 million in grants in the second phase of its investigations.
Mitra was restructured in 2018 under the Pakatan Harapan government and placed under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department but was moved to the National Unity Ministry in April last year.
The alleged misappropriation of Mitra funds had gone viral in the social media earlier this month with the names of more than a dozen recipients of the grants being exposed.
Subsequently, a report was lodged with the MACC calling for a thorough investigation into those who had abused the funds for personal gain.
The 18 individuals held by the MACC are currently being held under remand orders of between two and seven days.
